News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-01-20


Thus, all Thy sweet simplicity
Is art
The Century.
THE PARTNER.
Mr.. Thomas Mathers was only a ledger
clerk in the banking firm of Hodgson,
Dumford and Parr, st Swithin's Lane,
Lombard street. 1t was neither a verv
responsible nor avery lucrative position,
and Tommy (as all his friends called
him) longed, as perhaps fifty thousand
young men in a similar situation in
Lond are longing at this momen for
a chance of turning his brains to better
account than adding up columns of
figures and copying entries from one
big book INTO another The chance did
not come, but Tommy did not despair :
and there was this difference between
him and the great majority of his fellow
prisoners OF the desk-he had the
pluck to work away manfully at what
ever he thought might possibly some
day help him to better his position, even
though he could not see exactly how it
was to be done With this and in view
he got up French, German and Italian ;
and he did everything he could to pick
up information as to the financial cir
cumstances OF the customers of the
bank. He scraDed acquaintance with
every clerk employed by those who
had accounts at the bank. as far as he
possibly could, and picked up in time
an idea more or less accurate, as to the
commercial status of the most of t. EN-.
One day he happened to be at lunch
In his favorite restaurant. when an ac
quaintance named Darling came in and
sat down beside him After a little
casual conversation, Darling asked him
to let him know of any vacant clerkship
he might hear Of
81 will, certainly, old tellow.n re-
turned Tommy "but l hope YOU
haven't got into q row with Appleton, :"
Frederick Appleton was Darling's
brother-in law, and he was also the
secretary of the Mudford and County
Chemical Company, in whose counting
house young Darling had subordinate
post)
''Oh no, nothing of the kind" re-
turned Darling; and then he changed
the subject.
On his way back to the bank after
lunch, Mathers asked himself why Oarl
ing should leave his present situation.
He had a capital prospect there-his
brother IN law being the secretary; and
there was no disagreement between him
and his influential relative Could it be
that Darling had had a hint from his
brother in law that the Chemical Com |
pany was getting into shallow water,
and that 1t beloved him to be looking |
out for another situation 1t seemed
more than likely; and young Mathers
determined to act at once. He slipped
into the bank parlor that afternoon,
hoping to find the junior partner, Mr.
Parr, good natured sort of man, who
was not likely to snub him for volunteer
ing Information. To his disappoint-
ment, he found only Mr.. Hodgson, a
sour tempered old man, who was strug-
Cling into his overcoat, preparatory to
leaving the Office for the day.
'WelI," growled the banker, "what
do you want ?''
Tommy was on the point of saying
that he had come to speak to Mr.. Parr,
but IN a moment he changed his mind.
II heard something to-day, sir, he
replied, ''that made me think that the
Mudford Company are not in very
good way"
well, what of that what's that to
me ln
Nothing, sir; only I thought there
was no harm in letting you know"
" Anything of that kind you can say
to Mr.. Parkinson" answered the old
gentleman as he seized his umbrella and
Waddled down the passage.
Tommy felt snubbed; but he did not
mind that much He had done what
he wanted brought himself under the
personal notice of one of the partners.
If he had given the hint to Parkinson
the head cashier, Parkinson, not he,
would have haG all the credit of it. L e
retired to his place among the other
clerks little sore at the rebuff, yet not
entirely dissatisfied.
On his way home Mr. Hodgson re
membered that the bank held some
shares of the Mudford Chemical Com.
pany as security for the balance of the
account of one of their customers who
was deemed rather shaky. Ne4t morn
ing, accordingly, he called Tommy to
his room and questioned him as to the
nature of his information.
g Perhaps you will excuse nv enter
ing into that, sir" said Tommy, with
the utmost GOODNESS.
Mr.. Hodgson dismissed Mathers to his
work with a dissatisfied grunt and a
wave Of his hand, and Immediately set
to work to have the shares of the Mud
ford Company changed for other secu-
rites.
Tommy, who managed to know most
of what happened at the bank, noted
the fact and Tejoiced.
Within six weeks the shareholders of
the Mudford Chemical Company met
and resolved to 90 into liquidation; and,
though Mr.. Hodgson did not think it
worth while to thank the junior clerk
for the information be had given, Tommy
was perfectly satisfied He knew that
people do not forget things which
save their pockets.
1t happened that, some moths after
the incident of the Mudford Chemical
Company, Messrs. Hodgson had i'm
portant business to transact in Turin,
and it was thought advisable that the
senior partner should proceed to that
city to look after it. There was some
idea, if the present seemed favorable,
of starting a branch house there. The
question then arose, which of the clerks
should accompany the head of the firm
as a secretary; and MIR. Hodgson,
mindful of the service which Mathers
had rendered him, consulted the head
cashier on the propriety of the selection.
Parkinson, it happened, had favorite
of his own, and Tommy would have
lost his opportunity if he had not re-
membered that at one time, when he
was bent on acquiring foreign tongues,
he had spent his evenings for a few
months over an Italian grammar. He
contriyed to let this fact be known, and
in due time Mr.. Parr informed his senior
partner that {" it seemed that young
Mathers knew something of the Ian
guage."
This decided the point. Tommy re
ceived his orders, and in three days
more found himself on board the Dover
and Calais packet, in charge of large
disp tch box and Mr.. Hodgson's bulky
porlmanteaus. The journey was by NJ
means a comfortable one, for the young
m found that he was expected tC
travel second class, and generally act a:
courier to his employer. When al
last Turin was reached, things were NJ
better Mathers found tn his Italian
went but very little way; and, besides,